The War of the Rings
by astareltheweeper
Summary: What Sam didn't know... Affinity spoilers. SJ
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** They're not mine... I just like to employ the power of wishful thinking in fanfic form:)

**A/N: **Edited to hopefully fit in with the events of Affinity.

Sam hoped that Jack was still in his office. She had no idea why her feet were taking her there but she had the feeling that what she was thinking of saying needed to be said. She cursed herself. Why did she make life so complicated? She knew that, no matter what the outcome, she was going to deeply hurt someone that she cared about.

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Jack rested his forehead on the steering wheel. His mind had been racing all day but now it was blank and empty. He was still sitting in his pickup in the Cheyenne Mountain car park. The keys were in the ignition but he hadn't touched them since he got into the driver's seat over a half hour before. He was only wearing a t-shirt; he had left his leather jacket in his office, but he was too upset to notice or care. He felt like there was a gaping hole inside him, where his heart had been ripped out. No matter how much he had prepared himself for this and tried to talk himself out of loving her, it had been hopeless.

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The office was dark and empty. Sam wasn't sure why she knocked on the door but she did anyway. After waiting a moment, she let herself in and turned on the light. It looked the same as ever; no Jack. His leather jacket was slung across the chair. Sam's heart skipped a beat hopefully. Maybe he would come back and get it. Perhaps he had only just left. She picked it up and decided to go and see if he was still in the car park when she felt a large bump in one of the pockets.

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Aside from the fact that she could never be his; the fact that someone as beautiful and intelligent as Sam had ended up engaged to a ding-dong like Pete really irritated Jack. He had come up with any number of foolish reasons as to how it might have happened; each one involving Sam being forced into the arrangement against her will. Pete had blackmailed her, threatened her, he was possessed by a Goa'uld... _okay, you're really losing it now O'Neill..._ Why? Jack punched the steering wheel.

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Sam considered the action for a moment before looking in the pocket. Normally she would never do such a thing but she felt drawn to it for some reason, as though it belonged to her or something. _What is with me today?_ Reaching into the pocket, she drew out a small velvet box and an envelope. Opening the box she saw a white gold ring, set with three sapphires. Sapphires were Sam's favourite stone... She looked at the gold solitaire ring that she was wearing on her left hand. She had always preferred silver... What was Jack doing with an engagement ring? Why was the thought making her jealous? The envelope wasn't sealed or addressed so she opened it. Jack's resignation... it was dated two weeks ago. The day that she had told him Pete had proposed... _Oh Jack..._

**A/N: **Yes, I did write this story just for the sake of calling Pete a ding-dong:) I'm not sure what people will think of it... (I actually haven't seen Affinity... sinful!) If you think I should continue it somehow, please let me know...


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Stargate belongs to MGM, Gekko, Double Secret Productions etc...

Jack wished that he could move on. He had been carrying his resignation around in his pocket for two weeks now, along with the ring... Every day he contemplated handing it in, but then she would smile at him or crack a joke and he knew that he could never bear to be away from her. But when Pete's ring had appeared on her finger that morning, Jack was sure that a whole part of him died inside. He wanted more than anything else for Sam to be happy, but he wasn't gonna kid himself that it would be easy knowing that she was going to spend the rest of her life with someone else. What on earth had he bought the damn ring for in the first place? She had been seeing Pete for quite some time... Had he honestly thought that she would say yes to him, Jack? _Yup..._ a quiet part of his mind told him...

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Sam slid to the floor of Jack's office, her back leaning against the cold wall and his leather jacket still clutched in her hand. She gazed through misty eyes at the paper in front of her, then at the ring, and back at the paper again. He had been willing to give all this up, the SGC and everything he loved, just for her? How must he have felt when she just bluntly announced that Pete had proposed? Sam cringed at the thought of how much she must have hurt him. She felt several hot tears make their way down her cheek and fall onto her arm. She hugged the jacket to her, seeking comfort. As she drew a shuddering breath, she could smell the leather and aftershave that to her defined Jack. She couldn't help but wonder what she would have said if Jack had asked before Pete... Sam loved Pete, she knew that. But it was a different kind of love to the kind that she felt for Jack. With Pete, she felt safe and cared for and happy. With Jack, she felt like there was no one else in the world when he looked into her eyes. She felt complete. He could make her laugh or cry in an instant. The last few years that they had been working together had brought Sam to the knowledge of one thing; she loved Jack O'Neill, heart and soul. She didn't know what she had come here tonight to say to him, she only knew that she had wanted to know if it was at all possible that he cared for her too, before another ring went on her finger and she never got the chance to find out. _I would have said yes_ she realised, _and it wouldn't have taken me two weeks either..._

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"Oh, damn it." Jack made up his mind in an instant. He wrenched open the car door and stormed across the car park to go back to his office. He wasn't going to sit in this rut forever... the resignation was going in the bin and the ring was going back to... well, it was going into a drawer somewhere and he was going to get on with his life. Sam seemed happy. She was engaged to a man with the mental capacity of a peanut, who didn't deserve her at all, but she was happy. Jack knew that Pete would never hurt Sam... but something about that guy just gave him the creeps. Jack comforted himself with thoughts of torturing Pete to death if he ever made Sam shed so much as a tear... The guard at the door jumped slightly as Jack stormed past him.

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Sam's curiosity got the better of her and she gently slipped the ring from its velvet box. Taking Pete's ring off, she put it in the box and gently slipped the white gold ring onto her finger. It fitted perfectly. The sapphires glinted in the light as Sam held her hand up to look at it. _What am I doing?_ Fresh tears made their way down Sam's face as she realised that it was too late... she had already broken the heart of the man that she truly loved...

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As Jack strode down the corridor, he realised that the light was on in his office. He got, if possible, even angrier. Who in the hell was nosing around his office in the middle of the night? Well he would give them what for... They'd think twice before they... Jack's thoughts stopped dead when he threw open the door and saw who was in his office. Sam was sitting on the floor with tears streaming down her face, hugging his leather jacket in one hand and staring at –was that his ring?- on her other hand. Not exactly the picture of a happy bride to be... Jack couldn't help but stand there with his mouth open...

**A/N: **Dedicated to all those who demanded a sequel! It's still a work in progress, and I have abandoned all attempts to draw a parallel to the series cause I haven't seen it! Please, please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Stargate...

Sam jumped when the door was flung open and she saw Jack standing in the doorway. Hastily, she wiped the tears from her face, forgetting that she was still wearing the ring.

"Sir, I..."

"Sam, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was just... that is I came to... I thought that I should..."

Sam took a deep breath as she tried to steady her voice and figure out what to say. Jack had caught her completely off guard and she had no idea how to explain herself. She scrambled to her feet, Jack's resignation still clutched in her hand and the box with Pete's ring lying forgotten on the floor. She could tell by the look on Jack's face that he was just as taken aback as she was. However, his look of shock was slowly changing to one of horror as he looked at her hand.

"Where did you get that?"

His voice wasn't accusing, just worried and hurt. Sam looked at her hand and then desperately wrenched the ring off her finger. Could she possibly make this situation any worse?

"Jack, look can we talk?"

Jack was surprised by the openness in her voice, and the fact that he honestly couldn't recall the last time she had called him Jack and not Sir. He nodded blankly and gestured for her to sit in his chair. Sam shook her head. She felt like standing at the moment. Jack shrugged and slumped heavily into his chair, his mind still trying to make sense of why Sam was in his office in the middle of the night reading his resignation and wearing the wrong engagement ring. He was no longer angry, that had melted as soon as he had seen his beautiful Sam in a tearful heap on the floor. He had barely been able to restrain himself from scooping her into his arms and comforting her. He liked being able to do that... but it had all gotten more complicated lately...

Sam paced up and down a few times, trying to steady herself and figure out just how to word things. She was keenly aware of how Jack's eyes followed her about the room... his gaze burned into her back. Sam sighed deeply. This was going to be hard...

Jack ran a hand through his hair. He was wrong about his heart being ripped out... oh it was still there... it had been hurling itself at his ribcage for a while and now it had jumped up into his throat and was trying to strangle him. Although it wasn't treating him too nicely, he still wasn't in the mood for having it broken for the second time in as many weeks. Why couldn't she just say whatever she was gonna say? Women...

Sam decided to go for the simple approach before both her courage and her legs failed her. Jack's ring was still gripped in her hand. God, she hoped he didn't hate her... She walked over to the desk and sat on it, just in front of Jack. He looked up at her expectantly, but with fear and trepidation in his eyes. It almost made Sam cry again to think that she had been the one to put that there...

"Jack, I love you. I've loved you for a long time but I've just been too scared and too stupid to see it. You must hate me after all I've put you through, but you at least deserve to know."

Jack wanted to pinch himself to make sure this was real. But if it was a dream, he sure as hell didn't want to wake up. Could this really be Sam, sitting in front of him and telling him that she loved him, looking at him expectantly with tears filling her eyes.

"Please don't hate me..."

Sam barely whispered. She looked down to hide the tears that were falling. Two weeks ago there had been two men that wanted to spend the rest of their lives with her. After tonight, there would be none. She gently took his hand in hers.

"I just wanted to let you know; I've been wearing the wrong ring. If I can't wear this one, I don't want to wear any other."

When their hands parted, Jack's ring was glistening in the palm of his hand. Sam slid gently off the table and headed for the door. She paused for a second and held her breath... _please Jack, say something..._ Sam headed down the corridor, her heart heavy and her footsteps echoing loudly in her now empty world...

Jack stared at the ring in his hand for a long, long time... a million thoughts went through his head, quite a lot more than usual! Sam loved him... but she was engaged to someone else... _Get a brain O'Neill! That ring is in a box on the floor, she just told you she loved you and now she's walking away thinking that you hate her. Can you see anything wrong with this picture?_ _Like hell I can!_

"SAM!"

Jack jumped up from his chair and darted across the room as fast as he could go. He sprinted down the corridor, ignoring the complaints of his bad knee.

Sam turned when she heard her name and was making her way back towards Jack's voice when she collided with someone coming around the corner at top speed. They both managed to stay upright but it was a very breathless Jack that was trying to communicate with her.

"Sam... shouldn't... have... let you..."

_Screw all this talking, just kiss her! You're the boss..._

Sam had one arm around Jack's back to steady him after their collision and her other hand was on his chest. She could feel his heart racing and she looked up into his eyes to try and see what he was going to say when she felt him wrap his arms around her and she was lost in his kiss. She could feel Jack's arms tighten around her waist and she reached up and drew his head closer to deepen the kiss. Jack could have sworn that time stopped, but maybe it was just the lack of oxygen...

When they broke apart, Jack pulled Sam into a tight hug, burying his face in her neck. He never, ever wanted to let her go.

"I love you more than ever..."

Sam just hugged him tighter.

**A/N:** There's more to come, but not tonight... In the meantime, please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my goodness, how long has it been? I need to offer a serious and humble apology to all of you who have been waiting for the next chapter to this story. This isn't it, I'm afraid. Thank you all so much for your reviews and positive comments, they've really been wonderful!

I'm also sincerely sorry for any snipey replies that some of you may have received when asking for updates... truth be told, I have college entrance exams in 3 weeks: I don't pass, I don't get in. As you might imagine, that's more than a little stressful!

The reason I am posting this is to promise you that this story WILL be finished, so don't give up hope! Roundabout July-ish when my life finally calms down I will be settling down to writing for a month or so. I'll be finishing this story, possibly reposting my XF high school one and adding some new JAG fics that have been in the works for a while.

Thanks so much for your reviews and support and for bearing with me! This past year has been a muddle of horrible stress with both school and family so I really haven't been writing as regularly as I'd like. All will change soon!

Till July; live long and prosper, trust no one and fair winds and following seas to you all!


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